Swimming pools normally include a filtration system which receives water from the pool, removes debris from the pool, and then returns the filtered water back to the pool. More particularly, a pool typically has a main drain and a gutter system, both of which include drain lines leading to a remote surge pit. Typically, 60-80% of the water in the surge pit comes from the gutter system, and 20-40% of the water in the pit comes from the main drain of the pool.
The filtration system includes a pump which draws water from the surge pit and delivers the water to the main filtration bed. A surge pit filter is also conventional to prevent large debris from being pulled into the filter pump. One example of a prior art surge pit filter is a mesh basket filter which is submerged below the water in the surge pit. However, such a submerged filter will not capture floating debris, which will then decompose in the surge pit. Periodic cleaning of the basket filter is also necessary to remove the collected debris. Such cleaning is achieved by removing the basket from the surge pit, which allows unfiltered water to pass through the pump, leading to potential pump damage.
New government regulations require filtration to occur 100% of the time. A conventional underwater basket filter cannot meet this new regulation, due to the time period it must be removed from the surge pit for cleaning.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved filtering device for a swimming pool surge pit.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a surge pit filtering device which filters the water 100% of the time.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a surge pit filtering device having multiple filter elements which are independently removable for cleaning.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a filtering device for a swimming pool surge pit which is effective in use and easy to clean.
Another objective of the present invention is a method of continuously filtering water in a swimming pool surge pit before the water is pumped from the pit to the primary filter system of the swimming pool.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.